THE SET UP
Long before Abraham Lincoln said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” Jesus said it. In fact, Lincoln was quoting Jesus when he gave his “House Divided” speech while running for the Senate. The religious leaders were accusing Jesus of being able to cast out demons because He Himself was empowered by Satan. In other words, they said Jesus could cast out demons because He was full of them. Not sure about the logic there, but that’s what they went with. In response Jesus pointed out that a divided house won’t stand. He then went on to talk about the spiritual battle that is taking place in this world. That may not be something you have thought much about, but the bible, especially the New Testament clearly and consistently talks about a supernatural, spiritual battle that is taking place in our natural world. Our battle, the bible tells us, is not against flesh and blood. It is spiritual in nature. We need to be more aware of spiritual opposition in our lives and our world.
PASSAGE TO READ
Luke 11:14-28 (Page 624 in our house bibles)
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
What thoughts come to your mind when you read about the idea of a spiritual battle taking place in our world?
Why do you think the religious leaders accused Jesus of being empowered by Satan? What was their motive?
Do you believe in the supernatural (God, Satan, angels, demons)? Why or why not?
PRAYER IDEA
The Apostle Paul writes that, “The weapons we have are not carnal, but they are mighty through God.” In Ephesians 6, Paul writes about the armor of God. Read that passage and prayerfully put on each piece of God’s armor for today.